Friday, 1 May 2015

Sir Run Run Shaw as he is known in the West was born in 1907 in Ningbo, China as Shao Ren Leng. Run Run Shaw was the youngest of seven children of Shaw Yuh Hsuen 邵玉軒 (1867 - 1920) and Wang Shun Xiang (1871 - 1939). He was widely known among Chinese diaspora for the Chinese entertainment industry with a Hong Kong-based television station, Television Broadcasts Ltd (TVB).

Run Run Shaw spent his childhood mostly in Shanghai, and received English education from the Shanghai YMCA School. Run Run Shaw career began in 1925, when he joined his eldest brother Runje Shaw's film company in Shanghai. Two years later he left Shanghai for Singapore to join his another brother, Runme Shaw's business involving distributing films in Malaya and Singapore. During the Japanese Occupation, the Shaw brothers' studio in Shanghai was badly destroyed, thus forcing the entire operations relocated to Hong Kong, where they were known as Shaw Brothers Studios.

Throughout 1940s until 1970s, the Shaw brothers were collectively known in both Malaya and Singapore as the largest proprietors in cinemas. Almost every Malayan towns had cinemas associated with the Shaws. In 1957, Run Run Shaw returned to Hong Kong and focussing mainly in Chinese entertainment. He reorganised the company and setup a permanent film production site at Clearwater Bay known as Shaw Movie Town. The Shaw brothers also ventured in producing Western films when competition became fierce in the 1970s. By the millennium, the Shaw brothers sold their collection of 760 classic productions to Celestial Pictures Ltd, and invested USD180 million project on film production facilities at Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong.

In his later years, Run Run Shaw was known as a generous philanthropist. He had donated more than USD15 billion through his Sir Run Run Shaw Charitable Trust and the Shaw Foundations. He also founded the Shaw Prize, to award scientists in three research areas, astronomy, mathematics, and lift and medical sciences for their important discoveries and contributions towards human development.

Run Run Shaw died peacefully on 7 January 2014, leaving behind his wife, four children, nine grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. His funeral was attended by various Chinese Statesmen, including China's President Xi Jinping. He was cremated at the Cape Collinson Crematorium in Chai Wan, Hong Kong.